10 • KERNEL FOOTBALL • NOVEMBER 2016
Kiel Nelson pilots Kernels to victories
Sophomore maturing quickly to lead high-powered offense By Marcus Traxler The Daily Republic
As a starting quarterback, Kiel Nelson doesn’t yet know what it’s like to lose. He’s not expecting that to change on Friday, either. Nelson, who took over as the team’s starter in week two’s game against Yankton, has won each of the 10 games he’s started for the Kernels. He is the first to admit that he’s only part of the success and credits his linemen and running game for making his job a bit easier. “There’s so much focus this week,” he said. “We’re just settling in, getting ready for a good Harrisburg team. It’s an exciting game to be playing.” Nelson has passed at 50 percent, 22-for-44 for the season for 551 yards, with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. Mitchell coach Kent VanOverschelde said the improvements Nelson has made over the course of the season have been vast. “You can see it in his efficiency and his ability to run the offense, his understanding of it,” VanOverschelde said. “It really has, from the beginning, been really seamless in our transition.” Nelson said he can tell he has matured from the start of his season, which began with an interception against Yankton. “Well, I guess I’ve just matured over the season pretty good,” he said. “I could only go up from there. I put a lot of trust in my guys and I know they can get it done.”
But in an offense that runs the ball for more than seven yards per carry, Nelson knows where the Kernels’ bread is buttered. “We know we can run the ball. I mean, we have Spencer Neugebauer,” he said, laughing. “I don’t know what more I can say about him. And we have a lot of guys that are right there with him.” VanOverschelde said he was impressed with quickly Nelson took hold of the offense. “The learning curve wasn’t as large as we thought it would be,” VanOverschelde said. “He brought about a presence about him that was really confident.” Mitchell offensive coordinator Joe Kramer said Nelson has the tools to throw the ball and be successful but is in an offense where the Kernels don’t need to air it out. “It’s a situation where it’s probably a disadvantage to Kiel to have me as the offensive coordinator,” Kramer said. “I’m a run-oriented guy. We’re not going to throw it much, but when we do throw it, we want to be successful … He doesn’t get a lot of opportunities, but we know he can do it. We’ve seen him do it.” Nelson said the team’s success is proof that the work in the offseason paid off. “I can’t say there’s been anything special but we just work our butts off every single day,” he said.
Mitchell quarterback Kiel Nelson runs the ball during a game Oct. 20 at Huron. (Matt Gade/Republic)
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